State Representative Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, announced Wednesday that he is stepping down from his role as House majority leader in order to pursue a campaign for chairman of the Alabama Republican Party.
The move comes days after a secretly recorded 57-second clip from a closed-door House Republican Caucus meeting surfaced publicly, triggering internal tensions and renewed scrutiny over leadership roles within the chamber.
The abbreviated recording captured what lawmakers described as out-of-context comments by House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter during a broader discussion about caucus priorities and whether Stadthagen could simultaneously serve as majority leader while running for state party chair.
Multiple Republican lawmakers told APR the excerpt omitted critical context and was released in a way that misrepresented the substance of the debate, which centered on protecting incumbents and maintaining caucus unity during a competitive election cycle.
Relinquishing the majority leader post, Stadthagen said, will eliminate any questions about potential conflicts of interest between the two positions and allow him more time to meet with party leaders while running for the ALGOP chairmanship.
“As House majority leader, we increased the social media presence of our caucus members, increased the news media presence of our caucus members, and provided them with unprecedented detail about the bills and measures that come before the Alabama House,” Stadthagen said. “Those are the same goals I plan to pursue as ALGOP chairman—increasing the Alabama Republican Party’s social media and news media presence and providing executive committee members and grassroots Republicans with a new layer of detail and transparency about the party’s operations.”
Lawmakers who attended the caucus meeting previously told APR that the internal discussion was structural rather than personal. Several members said the question was whether a majority leader—whose primary responsibility is protecting House Republican incumbents—could remain neutral in party primaries while also seeking statewide party leadership.
Elected to the House in 2018, Stadthagen sponsored and passed legislation requiring public school students in Alabama to use the restroom assigned to their biological sex rather than any gender they may claim. The measure also prohibited classroom discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through fifth grade.
He also sponsored legislation prohibiting hostile nations from acquiring property in Alabama and expanding penalties for unlawful entry of critical infrastructure.
In 2023, the American Legislative Exchange Council honored Stadthagen as one of its “50 Under 50” legislators who best represent the organization’s conservative policy principles and values.
Stadthagen currently serves on the House Fiscal Responsibility Committee, the House State Government Committee, and the House Rules Committee, which determines the legislation considered on the chamber floor each meeting day.
